There are growing calls for Tasmania's court security to be beefed up after the alleged assault of a police officer and the successful escape of a man shortly after he was sentenced to jail.
The police officer was allegedly assaulted by two men in a toilet at the Hobart Magistrates Court last week as he was waiting to give evidence in a case.
Just one day earlier, Bodie Savage successfully escaped from the same court after receiving a prison sentence and remains on the run, despite a widespread manhunt involving police, a helicopter and dirt bikes.
Police Association of Tasmania president Colin Riley said both incidents highlighted serious deficiencies when it came to security within the Magistrates Courts.
"It's telling when a police officer — who was at court giving evidence without any accoutrements — was assaulted and had to call triple-000 inside the court for uniform officers to attend," Mr Riley said.
"That is a deficiency, and it needs to be remedied immediately, otherwise our members need to wear their accoutrements to court."
A Department of Justice spokesperson said the court was conducting a review, including consultation with relevant parties to determine what, or if, further actions were necessary.
Assistant Commissioner for Tasmania Police Jonathan Higgins said the incident should never have happened.
"Assaults are a shocking thing, particularly on the police officer that may be in there giving evidence," he said.
"While security inside the court is a matter for the Department of Justice, we will work with the courts to ensure that the security is reviewed within the courts to be the best it possibly can be."
Most incidents 'minor'
Figures from the Department of Justice show there were 32 reported incidents in the Hobart Magistrates Court in 2020-21, 49 in the Launceston Magistrates Court and seven in the Burnie Magistrates Court.
The number of incidents in the Hobart and Launceston Magistrates Courts dropped in 2021-22, but almost doubled in the Burnie Magistrates Court during that period.
A department spokesperson said most incidents were minor, such as low-level verbal abuse or disruptive behaviour.
The Law Society of Tasmania said it was aware of some security incidents in the Magistrates Courts of Tasmania and there have been some safety concerns raised by practitioners.
"The society welcomes any improvements that can be made and training that can be undertaken by security staff to ensure the safety of our members, court staff, judiciary and the public," Vice-President Amanda Thompson said.
As well, the union representing court security officers is calling for more to be done to address workplace safety, saying it was only a matter of time before one of their members was seriously injured or killed.
"Our members report to us that they are stressed, under-resourced, under-trained and underpaid," United Workers Union spokesman Ashley Walton said.
"Security staff have their voice and can physically engage with someone to quell a situation if they have to, but they don't have any other personal protective equipment."
Calls for more training for court security
Court security officers who are employed by contractor Wilson Security are required to undertake a certain number of hours of mandatory training each year, according to the Department of Justice.
"Training occurs on a rolling basis around the state and the contractor provides the court with regular reports on training," a spokesperson said.
"The court and department regularly review security arrangements to ensure their suitability and adequacy, including an assessment completed in 2021."
However, the United Workers Union does not believe the training goes far enough, saying it has very limited relevance to court security operations and does not address all their responsibilities, particularly in relation to custodial duties.
"We would always advocate that these workers should be directly employed by the state government and receive a condensed version of the Tasmania Prison Service course to give them the skills they need," Mr Walton said.
Labor Member for Clark Ella Haddad said the union has been asking to sit down with Attorney-General Elise Archer and discuss this issue, but she has so far refused.
"[The union wants] increased training for [its] members, to increase their safety and the safety of the public and the minister simply won't sit down and listen to their concerns or take them seriously," Ms Haddad said.
"It would be a great step forward if the state government directly employed court security officers so they could do their jobs."
In a statement, Ms Archer said: "The Tasmanian government is always happy to engage with unions regarding their suggestions for improvements, as she has done in the past on various matters.
"It is important to note, however, that the courts are independent of government, and they are best placed to address any concerns around their own processes."
